Typhoon Kong-rey makes landfall in Taiwan with powerful winds

Typhoon Kong-rey made landfall in Taiwan on Thursday, after the authorities closed schools, offices and financial markets, evacuated thousands of people, grounded hundreds of flights, and mobilized the military.

Kong-rey was set to be one of the most powerful storms to hit Taiwan in 30 years, the island's Central Weather Administration said before landfall. The US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center said before the storm's landfall that it had maximum sustained winds of about 126 mph, equivalent to a strong Category 3 hurricane.

More than 8,600 people had been evacuated in nine cities and counties on the island as of Thursday morning, according to Taiwan's Interior Ministry.

The entire island was under land and sea warnings Thursday afternoon, meaning that sustained winds of at least 39 mph were predicted to hit or come close to Taiwan within hours. Advisories for extremely heavy rain and other extreme weather stretched across the island, and nearly 4 feet of rain was forecast to fall in some mountainous areas.

"My plans are in chaos," said Huang Shu-ting, 45, as she put a bag of frozen chicken nuggets into a basket at a supermarket in Taipei on Thursday.

Huang said she had canceled a trip to southern Taiwan, where she had planned to visit her ailing father, because it no longer felt safe to travel.

"Fortunately Taiwanese people are very experienced in facing typhoons," Huang added as she stood in front of a food shelf that was more than 80% full. "I'm not worried too much, the storm will pass soon."

The storm's effects were also being felt in China, where meteorologists said that it could make landfall Friday and bring heavy wind and rain to several cities, including Shanghai, the country's financial hub.

Several train routes in China's eastern Yangtze River Delta region were suspended Thursday because of Kong-rey. More than 4,000 emergency workers had been deployed to prepare for rescue efforts across several southern provinces, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Kong-rey hit Taiwan after skirting the northern Philippines, which was battered by Tropical Storm Trami last week. The Philippine government said Wednesday that the two storms combined had killed at least 139 people and left at least 21 others missing.

As the typhoon traverses Taiwan, the mountains that run through the middle of the island are expected to weaken the storm, leaving the island's eastern side to receive most of the rainfall.

But even after passing through Taiwan, Kong-rey is likely to remain a typhoon as it emerges over the Taiwan Strait and heads toward southern Japan and China, where it could make landfall again Friday.

As it approached, Kong-rey was already causing disruptions to daily life in Taiwan.

As of early Thursday afternoon, more than 500 domestic and international flights in Taiwan had been canceled, according to the Transport Ministry. Some ferry services were suspended in southeastern Taiwan, and fishing boats were called to shore. The government also banned hikers from entering mountainous areas.

In the eastern coastal city of Hualien, which was hit by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in April, authorities prepared supplies and vehicles to help evacuate people.

In Yilan, a northeastern county, strong winds and rain had arrived by early Wednesday. At Suao Port in Yilan, which is usually crowded with military and civilian ships, a few vessels were docked at the harbor.

On social media, Taiwanese people expressed concern that such a powerful storm was arriving so late in the year. Though typhoons happen all year, most storms in the western Pacific form from May to October.

Many fans of Mayday, a popular Taiwanese pop band, were dismayed after it canceled its concerts that had been scheduled for Friday and the weekend.

Kong-rey approached eastern Taiwan with a large eye. Forecasters with the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said that as the storm approached the coast, it could become erratic, with changes in its forward speed and direction, and might weaken slightly before it makes landfall.

"Typhoon Kong-rey -- a climatological freak," an experienced typhoon chaser, James Reynolds, wrote on social media before the storm's landfall. "Its track towards Taiwan and potential landfall intensity will make it a once in a generation (if not longer) storm."

According to Brian McNoldy, a researcher at the University of Miami, the most recent typhoon equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane or stronger to hit Taiwan directly was Krosa on Oct. 6, 2007. That storm cut power to nearly half a million homes and disrupted air and sea traffic as it came ashore.